Bill to stop hunting with packs of dogs

Hunters will no longer be able to use packs of dogs to flush out wild mammals unless they have a licence, under a new Scottish Government bill.

The Hunting with Dogs Bill replace legislation in the Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Act 2002 - which made fox hunting illegal.

Ministers said it would make the law clearer and close loopholes.

Much like the Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Act, the new bill allows for predators like foxes to be controlled in certain circumstances, including preventing serious damage to livestock, timber or crops, protecting human health or preventing the spread of disease.

Dogs have to be kept under control and permission has to be granted from the land owner in these scenarios.

The key change is that no more than two dogs can be used to flush out animals like foxes or hares unless a licence has been granted.